Electric bond for railways.



H. P. BROWN. ELECTRIC BOND FOR RAILWAYS. APPLICATION rum) APR. 2. 1907.

Patented Jan. 4, 1910.

M/i neoceo: i

w W M 4 m UNITED STATES PATENT UFFICE.

HAROLD P. BROWN, 01? MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY.

ELECTRIC BOND FOR RAILWAYS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD P. BROWN, a

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 2, 1907.

Patented Jan. 4, 1910.

Serial No. 365,972.

The groove along which the flange of the car wheel travels is denoted by6. Through citizen of the United States, and resident of i the portionof the rail at the bottom of the Montclair, in the county of Essex andState of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement inElectric Bonds for Railways, of which the following is a specifi cation.

My invention relates to an electric bond for railways and moreparticularly to a bond comprising a plug of readily yielding metal ofhigh electric conductivity whlch may be applied from the exposed surfaceof the rail where the street is paved, without disturb ing the pavementand without removing the rail joints. Copper bonds, as ordinarily used,have their contacts on the rails gradually destroyed by corrosion andelectrolytic action and are liable to breakage on account of the motionof the rails and the bonds are liable to be partially or wholly shearedoff by the expansion and contraction of the rails under heat and cold.

My present invention is directed to a bond which shall withstand theseand all other tendencies to deterioration and destruction and one whichmay be applied in a simple and inexpensive manner.

\Vith these ends in view, my invention consists in a plug of readilyyielding metal of high electric conductivity, for example a plug ofplastic alloy extending through an exposed surface of rail or angle orsplice bar into the angle or splice bar or rail adjacent thereto.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical transversesection through a grooved girder rail, such as is commonly used in pavedstreets, showing the angle or splice bars and the bonds in position,Fig. 2 is a similar view through a T- rail, and Fig. 3 is a view inperspective showing the position of the bonds with respect to themeeting ends of two railway rails.

Referring to the form shown in Fig. 1, the head of the rail is denotedby 1, its web by 2 and its base by 3. The outer angle or splice bar isdenoted by i and the inner angle or splice bar is denoted by 5.

groove 6, there is drilled a hole 7 which extends through the head ofthe rail and into but not through the top of the splice or angle bar 5.To make the electric conductivity doubly effective, a similar hole maybe tapped through the tread of the rail 1 as shown at 8 and into but notthrough the top of the splice or angle bar l. Into these holes 7 and 8,plastic alloy is placed, the crack of the hole having first beenprotected by a flat spiral copper coil 9. To be more explicit, after thehole is bored through each rail into the splice or angle bar, the drillchips are removed conveniently by means of a permanent magnet and theproper depth of the hole determined conveniently by means of a collarfastened to the drill stock. The wall of the hole is then amalgamated orotherwise protected from corrosion by a non-rusting conducting coating.This amalgamation coats the steel with a layer of bright amalgam whichwill not rust nor will it permit the steel covered by it to rust. Aspiral 9 of fiat copper wire, in the form of a coil, is then preferablyinserted into the hole to seal the crack between the rail and the angleor splice bar. The hole is then partly filled with what is known in theart as plastic alloy, 10, which is extremely viscous and adheres to theamalgamated surfaces of the steel and the spirals. The top of the holeis then sealed, for instance by means of a metal disk 11. This diskpresses downwardly on the coil 9, keeping it tightly closed and hencethe crack between the rail and the splice or angle bar tightly closedand as the dirtand foreign matter accumulates above the disk 11, eitherin the hole 7 or 8, the tendency will be for the flange, in the oneinstance, and the tread of the car wheel in the other instance, to exerta downward pressure upon the disks 11 as the car passes along the trackthus squeezing the coil and the plastic alloy into a compact mass,holding the joint tightly sealed and the bond in its most effectivecondition.

WVith this bond, the lateral shifting of the holes in the rail and angleor splice bar out of register under the effects of heat. and cold orfrom other cause, will not affect the integrity of the bond, thematerial of which it is composed being at all times in close electriccontactwith the walls of the hole through the rail and in the splice orangle bar and ready to accommodate itself to any slight variances whichmay ordinarily be liable to take place under traffic.

Instead of the plastic alloy in a flowing state, a semi-plastic metalplug consisting of a more solidified form of the plastic alloy or othernon-rusting conducting metal, may be used and it, under the constanthammering action of the passing train, will be forced to accommodateitself to any slight variations which may take place in the positions ofthe rail and splice or angle bar relative to each other. And, eventhough the bond be sheared entirely, the hammering will force theportions into intimate contact with each other and the rail and anglebar while the amalgamation will prevent corrosion. This form of bonddoes not re quire the tearing up of the pavement in paved streets anddoes not in any event, even when applied to a T-rail, require anydismemberment of the joint in order to apply it, nor any interruption oftratlic as it can be applied during intervals between passing trains orcars.

The form shown in Fig. 2, is that in use in connection with T-railswhere the holes are made through the base flanges of the splice or anglebars 12 and 1?), into the base flanges of the rail 14.

In Fig. 3, the two rails, denoted by 141, 15, show the splice or anglebar 13 in its position relative thereto and the holes for the receptionof the bonds, located at 16, 17, it being understood that there may betwo holes correspondingly placed on the splice or angle bar 12 on theopposite sides of these meeting ends of the rails.

l The spiral coil of copper wire has been found to be an exceedinglyeffleient guard against the tendency of the plug of plastic alloycreeping away out of position between the rail and angle or splice bar.

\Vhile I have shown a groove faced rail in illustrating my invention, Ido not wish to limit myself to such a form as my invention is also welladapted to use where the face of the rail is flat instead of grooved.

\Vhat I claim is 2* 1. The combination with a railway rail and an angleor splice bar, the rail being provided with a hole extending through itand the splice bar with a hole extending into but not through it, of aspiral metallic guard located around the margin of the hole and a. plugof readily yielding metal said guard within the hole electric engagementwith the said guard.

2. The combination with a railway rail and a splice or angle bar, therail being provided with a hole through its head in the path of a wheeltraveling along the rail, and the angle or splice bar being providedwith a hole partially therethrough, of a. plug of readily yielding metalof high electric conductivity seated in said hole in position to becompressed by the said wheel in passing along the rail.

3. The combination with a. railway rail and a splice or angle bar, therailway rail being provided with a groove in its head along which theflange of a wheel is adapted to travel and with a hole extending throughthe tram of the rail and the angle bar being provided with acorresponding hole extending partially theretln'ough, of a plug ofreadily yielding metal of high electric conductivity seated in said holeand a cover in the upper part of said hole for shielding the saidyielding metal from exposure.

1. The combination with a. railway rail and a splice or angle bar, therailway rail being provided with a groove in its head along which theflange of a wheel is adapted to travel and with a hole extending throughthe train of the rail and the angle bar being provided with acorresponding hole ex tending partially therethrough, of a plug ofsemi-plastic non-rusting metal seated in said hole.

5. The combination with a rail along which a wheel is adapted to traveland a splice or angle bar for connecting the rail with an adjacent rail,the portion of the rail along which the wheel travels being providedwith a hole extending through it and the angle bar being provided with acorresponding hole extending partially through it, of a plug of readilyyielding metal of high electric conductivity seated in said hole and acover in the upper part of said hole for shielding the said yieldingmetal from exposure.

(3. The combination with a railway rail and an angle or splice bar, therail and the bar being provided with a hole extending through the railand partially through the bar and the hole being provided with anonrusting conducting coating or amalgam, of a spiral metallic guardlocated around the margin of the hole and a plug of readily yieldingmetal of high electric conductivity seated in said hole and in intimateelectric engagement with both the rail. and angle or splice bar.

7. The combination with a railway rail and an angle or splice bar, therail being provided with a hole extending through itand the splice barwith a hole extending and having an of high electric conductivity seatedwithin into but not through it, of a close spiral of flat amalgamatedWire located around the as my invention, I have signed my name inpresence of two Witnesses, this 22nd day of March 1907.

HAROLD P. BRO WN. Vitnesses R0131. N. HARDY, Trros. H. I-IAsKrNs.

